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Saturday, October 20, 2001 A Play That's Off the Wall Finds a Cast That Is, Too A story on Wonder of the World at MTC. Spare ticket, anyone? Classical Recording: Spinning Into Oblivion? Does this apply to cast albums too? Loving 'Raymond,' a Sitcom for Our Times Mom's favorite show Fictional Ray lives in my home town. A story in Backstage on the young producers. posted at 10/20/2001 10:59:07 PM by the other James | Item Link An unfortunate update on the Fynsworth Alley tale. posted at 10/20/2001 05:18:08 PM by the other James | Item Link Here's the story. [The Fall of Fynsworth Alley?] Uh oh. More details as we hear them. posted at 10/20/2001 09:15:34 AM by James Marino | Item Link Today's birthdays include Snoop Dogg, Jerry Orbach, Earl Hindman, Tom Petty, and Mickey Mantle. CDs: Ride Through the Night by Ken Mandelbaum Report: Nolte, Holm, Cox Looking to Become Taper Unknowns What's New on the Rialto? Musicals in Mufti by Nancy Rosati posted at 10/20/2001 09:11:08 AM by Matthew Murray | Item Link Friday, October 19, 2001 Producers to return coin as B'way bounces back Paybacks voluntary; negotiations didn't require return of salaries or royalties As Broadway B.O. rebounds, several producers are ready to return some or all of the coin they saved, thanks to labor concessions granted seven endangered Broadway musicals. Circle comes to end Greenwich Village venue closing its doors Critics Take a Chance on MAMMA MIA! Photo Op: MAMMA MIA! Opening Photos by Bruce Glikas for Broadway.com Bebe Neuwirth's Everett Beekin Begins OB Previews Oct. 19 Greenberg also has a new show headed for Broadway -- plus the West Coast and New York premieres of his latest, The Dazzle Women's Project Looks into Strange Case of Mary Lincoln, Oct. 19 Plans include a staged reading of a new musical, The Strange Case of Mary Lincoln Broadway To Get Albee's Goat; Sets Feb. 28 Opening The Goat may wind up the fourth Albee play to be produced in New York in 2002 Tracey Moore To Star in Mufti Regina, Oct. 19-21 Marc Blitzstein's 1949 musicalization of The Little Foxes gets a rare revival Off-Broadway "Sopranos" Star George Loro Directs OB Petrified Forest Oct. 19 Off-Broadway production is directed by George Loros of "Sopranos" fame Japan Society Hosts Asian Performance Art Festival, Oct. 19-20 The Asian Performance Art Festival puts on public display the sort of extreme behavior and stage exhibitionism that is considered taboo in many Asian countries. Master in the House: Cameron Mackintosh To Attend Premiere of All-Kid Les Miserables Oct. 19-21 Cameron Mackintosh to attend premiere of Les Miserables: A High School Edition Albee's Goat Sets Broadway Opening Date Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? is set to open at the Belasco Theater on February 28, according to The New York Times. Rocky's Stovall Directs Starry Nativity The Rocky Horror Show's James Stovall is putting together a star-studded production of his Nativity: A Life Story Dracula Delays Opening at La Jolla PLayhouse La Jolla Playhouse has delayed the start of previews for Dracula, The Musical for another two days. Buzz Lines: If you hurry, you can still catch the fabulous production of Lady in the Dark at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia. (Hello, Amtrak�?) Tom's Midnight Garden Blooms at OB's New Victory, Oct. 19-Nov. 4 Beekin and Bebe Begin at Lincoln Center Theater, Oct. 19 Isn't It Rich?: A Little Night Music Opens Oct. 19 at CT's Goodspeed Opera House Marc Blitzstein's Regina Get York Concert Revival Oct. 19-21 Barbara Walsh Is Mary Lincoln for Women's Project Oct. 19 and 21 Hello, Gorgeous: 'Funny Girl' Gets Restored and Remastered DVD Release Oct. 23 Bway Stars' CD Comes "Home for the Holidays" For BC/EFA and Towers, Nov. 13 Bat Where It Belongs! Bat Boy Resumes Perfs at Union Square Theatre Oct. 18 Wildhorn's Dracula Delays Opening to Oct. 28 posted at 10/19/2001 07:46:59 AM by James Marino | Item Link On this date in 1987, the stock market crashed as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points, or 22.6 percent in value - its biggest-ever percentage drop. Today's birthdays include John Lithgow, Jennifer Holliday, Trey Parker, and Chris Kattan. How Were the Reviews?: Mamma Mia! on Broadway Theater Review | 'Mamma Mia': Mom Had a Trio (and a Band, Too) by Ben Brantley The unlikeliest muscial ever to win over cynical, sentiment-shy New Yorkers, "Mamma Mia!" is the theatrical equivalent of comfort food. Mamma Mia! Review by Ken Mandelbaum Abba Dabba Doo! by Clive Barnes 'MAMMA Mia!" finally opened at the Winter Garden Theatre last night, after starting in London two years ago and traveling the English-speaking world ever since. Alan Alda's Broadway QED Begins Delayed Previews Oct. 21 Bebe Neuwirth's Everett Beekin Begins OB Previews Oct. 19 On Stage and Off: Four New Plays, One by Albee by Jesse McKinley A 'Pretty' Sure Bet by Michael Riedel 'PRETTY Woman" - the 1990 movie that made Julia Roberts a star - is going to be turned into a Broadway musical. posted at 10/19/2001 06:37:27 AM by Matthew Murray | Item Link Thursday, October 18, 2001 Buzz Lines: If you hurry, you can still catch the fabulous production of Lady in the Dark at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia. (Hello, Amtrak�?) posted at 10/18/2001 05:45:12 PM by James Marino | Item Link On this day in 1977, Reggie Jackson of the New York Yankees became only the second player to hit three home runs in a World Series game. Jackson's heroics led New York to an 8-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, clinching the world championship. Go Yankees! Today's birthdays include Jesse Helms, Chuck Berry, Peter Boyle, Wendy Wasserstein, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Pam Dawber. Theater Review | 'An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein' Gleefully Skewering the Quirks of Humanity Take a Chance on Them: 'Mamma Mia!' Opens Oct. 18 London 'Private Lives' Heading for Broadway Bat Where It Belongs! 'Bat Boy' Resumes Perfs at Union Square Theatre Oct. 18 Gina Gershon Comes Back to the 'Cabaret' Yet Another Version of 'Footloose,' This Time TV posted at 10/18/2001 10:56:22 AM by Catherine Skidmore | Item Link What was Robin Pogrebin, a reporter for The New York Times, thinking? Yesterday, Pogrebin filed a story for the Times regarding the re-opening of The Rocky Horror show. It said, in part,
And shame on Pogrebin for either jumping to that conclusion or not checking out the statement if it was made. Here are the Box Office Grosses for Rocky as reported to Playbill Online:
Or if you are graphic person, click on the chart: Now, if you look at the trends in the numbers, 6/17 - 7/29 was a post Tony Awards appearance bounce plus an aggressive marketing campaign of discounted tickets. This lead to high percentages of butts in the seats at a plummeting average ticket price. That supports the theory that there is a market for this show, but not at the price point of $80/ticket. While the percentages were good, the revenue was still not where it needed to be. From 7/29 - 9/9, two days before the World Trade Center attacks, Rocky had a trend of decreasing revenue at the rate of about $50,000 per week. No amount of spin can justify a statement that Rocky closed because of anything other than Broadway shows all close eventually. And to try and use the events downtown to re-open a failed show is appalling. Before the denials happen, let me ask why Rocky had on the payroll Lizzie Grubman and Howard Rubenstein, over and above their regular press rep, Judy Jacksina? We hear that Lizzie was hired to get celebs to Rocky while Rubenstein was hired to hold a re-opening press conference and get Mayor Giuliani there. Giuliani cancelled. All of this game-playing is detrimental to Broadway. posted at 10/18/2001 09:54:16 AM by James Marino | Item Link Wednesday, October 17, 2001 On this date in 1967, 'Hair' opened. And on this date in 1989, an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 hits San Francisco, killing 67 and causing damage in the billions. Part of the Bay Bridge also collapsed. The quake interrupts the third World Series game. Nothing had better interrupt the Yankees kicking Seattle's ass. Nothing. I guess Harry couldn't explain 'Thou Shalt Not' either.Or as they say on ratm, 'Thou Shouldn't Have' posted at 10/17/2001 01:42:42 PM by Catherine Skidmore | Item Link Broadway Grosses: Here We Go Again The new season is really starting to heat up, with four shows (Mamma Mia!, Thou Shalt Not, Sexaholix�a love story and The Women) in the midst of previews last week. Unwrap Your Candy Extends at the Vineyard The limited engagement of Doug Wright�s Unwrap Your Candy at the Vineyard Theatre will be extended for two additional weeks. The play, directed by the author, will now run through November 11. Cast Announced for Othello at the Public Yakker to do time warp Jerry! Jerry! steps in to play narrator in transgender tuner Talkshow host Jerry Springer will replace talkshow host Dick Cavett in the retooled production of "The Rocky Horror Show," set to reopen on Broadway Oct. 30 for a limited 10-week engagement. When did Broadway become golf? It used to be that on Broadway, the scoring the lowest was not the desired outcome... A 'Fool' for B'way New SFS sets comedy with thesp Bates, helmer Penn Hot 'mamma' hits B'way B.O. monopolized by Big 5 Road rallies despite 'Full' stop Clear Channel talking about salvaging tuner's truncated tour Theater Hall of Fame To Induct Strouse, Grizzard, Brustein, Stevenson Jan. 28, 2002 The "Class of 2001" will be welcomed by the American Theater Critics Association and the Board of Directors of the Theater Hall of Fame Sebastian Bach Rocks as Riff Raff in Oct. 30 B'way Resurrection of Rocky Horror Show Celebrities like Robin Leach, Jerry Springer, Sally Jesse Raphael and MTV's Dave Holmes will also join the Broadway revival. Students Asked To Write Plays About the War's Effect on Their Lives The entries must address the student's feelings in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack Bat Boy To Reopen Off-Broadway, Oct. 18 As boxoffice woes ease, the scary musical plans to return from beyond the grave Unfortunately, this re-opening will get buried under the Mamma Mia frenzy. SCENE AND HEARD: Neil LaBute's New Shape The hot young playwright partied at Ernie's with the cast on opening night IN THE WINGS by MICHAEL RIEDEL TWO high-profile musicals trying out in regional theaters may be Broadway bound.The first is "The Visit," the new musical from songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb, and playwright Terrence McNally, which opened last week in Chicago starring Chita Rivera. So, the question is, was Riedel not included in the Rocky news, or did he decide not to write about it? Hmmm... Flannery O'Connor's Everything Rises at NY Theatre Workshop, Oct. 17-Nov. 18 Target Margin Opens Marriage of Figaro Off-Broadway, Oct. 17 Fonzie Sings!: Happy Days the Musical Has Industry Readings in L.A. Oct. 21-23 LCT Platform Series Hosts Thou Shalt Not Crew, Oct. 17, 24 ATW's Isabelle Stevenson Gets JNF Tree, Dec. 10 Christmas on Mars Revisited at Manhattan Theatre Source, Oct. 17-Nov. 3 Broadway Grosses: October 8-14 - Part 1 Actress Gloria Foster Is Remembered at Manhattan Memorial Vineyard To Unwrap Wright's Candy Through Nov. 11 MESSAGE TO SHOW MUSIC MAGAZINE READERS Is it me or is the silence from the Left Coast deafening? More specifically, I am talking about the lack of chat about Wildhorn's Dracula which started at La Jolla last week. Sure they are in previews, but what exactly is a preview at a regional theatre anyway? Frank, go back to work now. :-) Grrrr!!! posted at 10/17/2001 08:49:51 AM by James Marino | Item Link Today's birthdays include Arthur Miller, Evel Knievel, Michael McKean, Margot Kidder, George Wendt, Mike Judge, Norm MacDonald, Eminem, Rita Hayworth, Jean Arthur, and Montgomery Clift. Theater Review | 'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)': And You Still Thought Hamlet Was a Tragedy by D. J. R. Bruckner Improbable as it may seem to people who saw the 1991 and 1995 presentations, this second Off Broadway revival of "Shakespeare Abridged" is funnier than ever. Theater Review | 'Save It For the Stage: The Life of Reilly': Anecdotes About His Family and a Life in Show Business by Anita Gates New Kid on Jane Street Block is Joey McIntyre, Joining tick, tick Oct. 17 posted at 10/17/2001 05:52:24 AM by Matthew Murray | Item Link Tuesday, October 16, 2001 Today's birthdays include Angela Lansbury, Tim Robbins, Suzanne Somers, David Zucker, Eugene O'Neill, Noah Webster, and Oscar Wilde. posted at 10/16/2001 11:18:50 AM by Matthew Murray | Item Link A few days ago, we thought the Yankees were out of it. They proved us wrong last night. And although it looks like it won't be a "Hollywood" ending for BroadwayOnline.com, there still is hope. Clear Channel has been rumored to be the white knight to save the financially troubled Broadway Television Network, owner of BroadwayOnline.com. Other pieces of information that have made its way back to us: only the part-timers/freelancers were let go on Sunday. BroadwayOnline is still fielding a full staff in the office until Oct 31. BTN has consolidated on to one floor and rented its extra space on 44th/8th to a displaced company who was affected by the WTC disaster. Also of note, the management is trying to preserve the assets of the corporation (news and photo archive) through either a host or a sale of them. Most importantly we as a community need to make sure that the talent that created BroadwayOnline stays in the theatre community. We cannot afford to lose people like Norma Grossman, Michael Buckley, Jessica Browner, Peter Filichia, Sean Patrick Flahaven, Tom Lynch and Robert Viagas to another industry. Andrew Lloyd Webber's By Jeeves Starts B'way Previews Oct. 16 Broadway production promises "no singing Nazis" as it puts up its posters at the Helen Hayes Theatre Neil LaBute Collaborating with Elvis Costello on B'way-bound Musical LaBute's Shape of Things just opened Off-Broadway LuPone and Prince Begin Previews in B'way Noises Off Oct. 16 The backstage farce is a revival of the play by the author of Copenhagen Neil Simon's New Comedy 45 Seconds From Broadway Starts Previews Oct. 16 Unfortunately, two of the show's original cast members, Carol Woods and Joan Copeland, have bowed out of the production, just a week before previews are set to begin. The reason? Artistic differences. How Were the Reviews? Flower Drum Song in L.A. Lea Salonga stars in the pre-Broadway tryout of the revamped Rodgers and Hammerstein musical MTC Debuts John Patrick Shanley's Where's My Money?, Oct. 16 It's the latest Shanley play about the relationship between men and women. Nonesuch Records Releases Long-Awaited CD of Sondheim's The Frogs Oct. 16 Filling the rest of the CD is a new recording of Sondheim's Evening Primrose Joey McIntyre Joins Off-B'way Musical tick, tick...BOOM! Oct. 16 He'll play opposite Molly Ringwald in Jonathan Larson's Off-Broadway musical Decca Broadway To Release Lloyd Webber's By Jeeves Cast Album Oct. 16 Also coming from Decca: Re-releases of Birdie, Big, Two on the Aisle, Ziegfeld Follies of 1936, and a boxed set of Lloyd Webber classics Chenoweth, Flockhart & Harper In Broadway.com Ads Broadway.com�s new national TV advertising campaign has hit the airwaves, featuring theater stars Kristin Chenoweth... Wouldn't that be, "theatre stars who got their start in theatre and abandon the theatre for bad television?" Leguizamo's Sexaholix Extends Before It Opens The Broadway engagement of John Leguizamo�s Sexaholix�a love story has been extended before it even opens. Oklahoma! Casting Update As Ken Mandelbaum wrote on August 20, Josefina Gabrielle and Jessica Boevers will indeed appear in the upcoming Broadway production... THEATER REVIEW | 'LADY IN THE DARK' Down in the Dumps at the Top of Her Field by BRUCE WEBER Even 60 years after it first appeared on Broadway, "Lady in the Dark" is the kind of show that shimmers with the promise of guilty pleasure. B'way momentum slows in B.O. uptick 'Phantom' rises, but other tourist faves dip 10/15/01 5:13pm Broadway's box office increases of the past month are beginning to slow down. While the B.O. total continued to inch upward last week -- it gained 3% and rose to $10,885,192 -- the number included grosses for 23 shows, two more than the previous week. ABBA: A TO Z by MEGAN TURNER LET the ABBA-mania begin. Get set for a renewed onslaught of glam-rock bodysuits and dancing queens when the musical "Mamma Mia!" opens on Broadway Thursday. The show is chock-full of the infectious tunes that made the legendary Swedish quartet top of the pops in the 1970s. ALL THE BARD THAT'S FIT TO SKIT by DONALD LYONS SHAKESPEARE, dude. You remember him from high school, right? Preposterous plots, incomprehensible language, ripe for a sendup? Buzz Lines: Chay Yew talks about The Square, a unique Asian-American theater project at the Public. Benicio Del Toro, Harold Bloom To Receive Adler Awards Nov. 19 Baker, Forbes, Goede, Welch Added to Cast of Public Othello; Begins Nov. 20 Clock Ticks Down to First Preview of Simon's 45 Seconds, Oct. 16 By Jeeves, Lloyd Webber and Ayckbourn's Wodehouse Musical, Begins on Bway Oct. 16 Enter Laughing: Noises Off Begins Bway Previews Oct. 16; Opens Nov. 1 Roundabout Holds Benefit Viewing of Mizrahi's Women Duds, Oct. 29 Broadway and Off Broadway Stars Will Discuss 'How to Work in the Theatre', Oct. 16-18 Bread of Winter Rises in NYC Play Company Reading, Oct. 16-20 Shanley's Where's My Money Begins MTC Previews Oct. 16, Opens Nov. 7 Musical of American Innocence, Shine!, Gets Cast Album Oct. 16 Sondheim's Frogs and Evening Primrose Get CD Release Oct. 16 We hear that a certain Broadway producer was not happy with Broadway.com because the online news source scooped the producer on his own project. The producer, who can often be seen near Carnegie Hall, wanted to have a big press conference for his show's plans, and read it first on Broadway.com... I guess you can't have it both ways. posted at 10/16/2001 09:04:18 AM by James Marino | Item Link Monday, October 15, 2001 It's Alive! Rocky Horror Returns October 30 Updated Flower Drum Song Heard by Critics Proposal Offers Tax Relief for Producers There is a proposal in the works that would give tax relief to producers of commercial theater. The proposal, which has the support of Senator Charles E. Schumer... I heard an interview with Chuck Schumer this weekend on Q104 (no, we don't listen to show music all the time), and I have to tell you that I was very impressed with his ability to connect with people without all the political BS. Of note: You may notice a few changes on the nav bar to your right. The obvious deletion of the BroadwayOnline.com and it's associated links, and the addition of a new category "Radio". First of all, I realize that BroadwayOnline is not quite gone yet, but for all intents and purposes, there is no longer a staff. I hear that Robert Viagas is really the only one left and that a cash infusion was needed over the weekend to keep the editorial website going. No word if it happened. Yesterday, Matthew pointed out the tremendous loss of Peter Filichia's column, but I hear that he will land on the web just fine. (You never know *where* Peter just may show up next...) There are also a lot of other valuable resources of BroadwayOnline that will be temporarily lost. I suspect that those people will show up at other websites as well. On another note, the links on the right side are tools for you and we take suggestions. Just let us know if we are missing something. The Latest Trend in "Reality TV": Theatre on the Small Screen A guide to help you make sense of upcoming projects that adapt stage shows for the small screen and TV specials that take on theatrical themes Kim Stanley: "Her Genius Will Never Melt" Broadway says farewell to the actress at an Oct. 12 memorial Three Blocks From World Trade Center, Flea Theatre Fights Slump Hoping revenue will rise with openings of No Mother To Guide Her, Ajax (por nobody) DC, MD, VA Correspondent Brad Hathaway Continues Reports at PotomacStages.com Hathaway�s daily news articles on theatre in the Potomac Region to appear on a new website also featuring a free email service Low Ratings Haunt Sitcoms With High-Profile Stars by BERNARD WEINRAUB Network expectations have been dampened for ABC's "Bob Patterson," with Jason Alexander, NBC's "Emeril," with Emeril Lagasse, and CBS's "Ellen Show," with Ellen DeGeneres. Does this mean that Broadway producers will stop assuming that bringing a star into a project will make the project float? It's all about the content, not the wrapping. ARTS ONLINE How the Net Is Documenting a Watershed Moment by MATTHEW MIRAPAUL As cultural institutions ponder what they will preserve from Sept. 11, the Internet is figuring prominently in their strategies. ARTS & LEISURE 'I Love Lucy': Coolly Confident, Timelessly Funny by JOYCE MILLMAN I love "Lucy," and I always will. Why? Because it's fantastically, timelessly funny. The show was driven by a primal sitcom dynamic: two couples, four personalities. � Slide Show: 'I Love Lucy' at 50 � 'Lucy': Endlessly Lovable, but Damaging, Too � Making the Case for Desi Arnaz SECOND 'WIFE' NOT TO BE SNEEZED AT by CLIVE BARNES ONE fascinating and unexpected aspect of Broadway's burgeoning recovery from the terrorist attack has been the comparative strength of its plays over its musicals. Buzz Lines: On the theory that there can never be too much of a good thing, a new revue of Stephen Sondheim�s songs is about to have its U.S. premiere. Charles Nelson's Casts and Forecasts The theater is ephemeral, but film versions of Broadway hits are forever�if the film is properly preserved. Danieley, de Shields To Let it Go in London Full Monty in 2002? For MD's Olney, a New Season This Year and a New Venue Next Musical War Brides Unveiled in NYC Reading Oct. 22 Stratford Festival Has Seven by Shakespeare in 50th Season in 2002; Plummer is Lear Where did I read that before? Maybe here? Hwang-Revised Flower Drum Song w/ Salonga and Llana Opens in L.A. Oct. 14-Dec. 2 La Mama 40th Anniversary Bash to Benefit Local Firefighters Eric Grode's STAGE TO SCREEN: At the New York Film Festival Mind the Gap Presents Plays from Across the Pond for UkwithNY Program, Oct. 14-28 NY Public Library for the Performing Arts Offers Oct. 13 Open House Prior to Oct. 29 Re-Launch O'Connor's Everything That Rises Converges at NY Theatre Workshop; Starting Oct. 17 Bway Composers Show Off Their "Other Side," Nov. 4, 11 and 18 TDF Tries to Help NYC Theatre w/ Tax Plan and Benefit Events What a beautiful morning taking the train down the Hudson looking at all the trees changing color...! posted at 10/15/2001 09:00:07 AM by James Marino | Item Link Sunday, October 14, 2001 Grand Knowing You by Peter Filichia I can't speak for anyone else here at BroadwayStars, but I'm really going to miss Peter Filichia's daily columns. Whether I agreed with him or not, I always enjoyed reading him, and he always had something creative to say. He continues to be an inspiration to me, and I am very much looking forward to whatever he does online next, as long as it's soon! posted at 10/14/2001 03:41:39 PM by Matthew Murray | Item Link Today's birthdays include Roger Moore, Cliff Richard, Harry Anderson, Greg Evigan, Dwight David Eisenhower, Lillian Gish, and e. e. cummings. Oh, Hedda's Not So Great by Peter Filichia posted at 10/14/2001 05:55:47 AM by Matthew Murray | Item Link BroadwayStars is powered by Blogger Pro! [Past News] |
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